Dan Hirschman

@asociologist

Sociologist @Cornell. Currently interested in the history of inequality statistics, and the role of economic expertise in climate policy. “Venceréis, pero no convenceréis.”

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Dan Hirschman@asociologist· 15d

The war on science comes to the @asanews.bsky.social dissertation grants:

“ASY American Sociological Association
Dear Colleagues,
We are writing with important information about the ASA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (DDRIG), which has been funded by the National Science Foundation for the past six years.
After learning that we will not be receiving our next funding increment from NSF, we are suspending the ASA DDRIG program and will not be opening the 2027 application cycle. This does not affect any student who currently holds an ASA DDRIG.
Over six application cycles, the ASA DDRIG program awarded 153 grants to students at 62 institutions. We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to all the reviewers who have made the program possible and to all the students, both applicants and grantees, whose work has inspired us. We are actively seeking other funding opportunities and will be back in touch with the sociology community if funding becomes available in the future.
In the meantime, we encourage you to write to your representatives in Congress to let them know how the cancellation and suspension of research funding impacts you, your students, and your colleagues. Please visit ASA Action Center to view our current action alerts on this matter.
Feel free to customize your message if you received an ASA DDRIG or NSF DDRI and share how the program helped shape your trajectory.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of ASA's efforts to promote the work of sociologists and the discipline of sociology.
ASA DDRIG Program Team”

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· 18d

::stares directly at the NYT::

“Cornell Criticizes Students After Its President Bumps Them With His Car” heading from NYT downplaying the danger of hitting someone with a car

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· 18d

Here’s a footnote I literally just read in Calarco’s Holding it Together on this:

22. For more recent research on the marshmallow test, see Tyler W. Watts, Greg J. Duncan, and Haonan Quan, "Revisiting the Marshmallow Test: A Conceptual Replication Investigating Links between Early Delay of Gratification and Later Outcomes," Psychological Science 29, no. 7 (2018): 1159-77. For additional research debunking claims of the original marshmallow test, see Celeste Kidd, Holly Palmeri, and
Page 282 of 316
87%

Richard N. Aslin, "Rational Snacking: Young Children's Decision-Making on the Marshmallow Task Is Moderated by Beliefs about Environmental Reliability," Cognition 126, no. 1 (2013): 109-14; Wendy S. C. Lee and Stephanie M. Carl-son, "Knowing When to Be 'Rational': Flexible Economic Decision Making and Executive Function in Preschool Children," Child Development 86, no. 5 (2015): 1434-48; Joseph T. McGuire and Joseph W. Kable, "Rational Temporal Predictions Can Underlie Apparent Failures to Delay Gratification," Psychological Review 120, no. 13 (2013): 395-410; Laura E. Michaelson and Yuko Munakata, "Trust Matters: Seeing How an Adult Treats Another Person Influences Preschoolers' Willingness to Delay Gratification," Developmental Science 19, no. 6 (2016): 1011-
19.
BACK TO NOTE REFERENCE 22

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· 21d

Here's a nice chart showing (minimal) changes in voter ID over time: (from goodauthority.substack.com/p/the-perfec... )

Chart from Pew showing movements in party affiliation 2020-2026. The total Dem/Lean Dem and GOP/lean GOP in 2020 and 2026 are the same.

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Jul 13

LOL.

“idea of aesthetic or literary value. And many literary scholars have, in fact, been persuaded, perhaps by reading the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, that one social function of judgments of taste-understood as a tendency to value some works over others-is to maintain hierarchies of class. Bourdieu wrote that surveys establish that all cultural practices (museum visits, concert-going, reading etc.), and preferences in literature, painting or music, are closely linked to educational level (measured by qualifications or length of schooling) and secondarily to social origin. 12
This claim was based on extensive analysis of social surveys he conducted in France. I am aware of no reason to doubt it. But that the literary and other aesthetic tastes of the social elites corresponded with what was celebrated as high culture is perfectly consistent with those judgements of taste nevertheless being correct.”

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Jul 12

“Two ROMs” feels like the premise of a great time travel caper episode:

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Jul 2

Just saw this op-ed page from the Detroit Free Press and my first thought was @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social’s aphorism: “I do not regret to inform you that we are going to win.”

A Pride op-ed page from the Detroit Free Press with unapologetic pro-LGBTQ content.

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Jun 30

Not The Onion…

NYT story: “Where Testosterone and the Bible are the “New Punk Rock””

At Freedom Con, more than 4,500 men and boys gathered for masculinity, Christianity and right-wing politics. "Heterosexual, sober men who marry girls and read Bibles, we're the new punk rock!" a pastor said in a fiery sermon that brought attendees to their feet.

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Jun 26

Why not?

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Jun 23

Perfect title, no notes. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10....

An Even Sterner Review: Introducing Relative Prices into the Discounting Debate

Thomas Sterner and U. Martin Persson

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Jun 1

I lol’d. Twice. Once at the title, once at “Unsurprisingly, Haldane could not simply extract knowledge from pet cats in a controlled environment”…

Abstract of a new paper in ISIS:

“The English Working Cat: J. B. S. Haldane and a Noncapitalist Experimental Organism
Matthew Holmes, International Fellow, Kultuwissenschaftliches Institut Essen (KWI)
Abstract: During the 1940s and 1950s, the celebrated and controversial British geneticist J.
B. S. Haldane decided to investigate heredity in house cats (Felis catus) by initiating a breeding program at University College London. Today, a substantial body of scholarship exists on the development of standardized experimental organisms as a reflection of capitalist
economics and society. I argue that, as a committed Marxist with a particular view of how science and society should be organized, Haldane selected the cat as an experimental organism to support his ambition for a "democratized" Marxist science, tailored to the concerns and participation of working people. For Haldane, the sexual independence of house cats from human control offered new insights into human genetics, a biological rebuttal to
fascist eugenics, and expanded participation in science by engaging British pet owners with
his breeding program. Unsurprisingly, Haldane could not simply extract knowledge from pet
cats in a controlled environment and quickly became entangled in the lives of his animal
subjects and their human owners. Although his feline experiments did not yield groundbreaking results, they did reinforce Haldane's growing sense of the importance of
public participation in science and displayed some intriguing similarities to contemporary
citizen science.”

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 27

Here's a chart showing responses to that section of questions:

Bar chart showing % of faculty at Yale who reported changing their behavior over fears related to academic freedom.

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 27

Also, this bit from the report (which alas I don't have time to read carefully) is kinda funny. Kuznets published that line in *1934*. GNP didn't really even take off as a metric til the early 1940s, and GDP til much later.

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 26

Sociology folks: If you're interested in having a conversation about the @soc4pal.bsky.social boycott, show up tomorrow morning to talk to some of the organizers! Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Sociologist 4 Palestine event flyer "Against Genocide: What Do We Do About It?" May 27 @1130am Eastern https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/353QJA1ORW6i0j5ZqkD8mg#/registration

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 21

Cozy academia: it’s about the *scones*.

Parks and Rec “Cones of Dunshire” meme “it’s about the cones” but scones instead.

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 17

I feel this way about so many critiques of the Democratic party.

Tyrion Lannister: “I wish I was the monster you think I am.”

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 17

Students for a Democratic Cornell (whose members were the ones that President Kotlikoff hit with his car) have issued the following press release in response to the Board of Trustees “independent investigation” clearing Kotlikoff and blaming the students:

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 16

An orb-weaving spider captioned “I have friends everywhere”

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 15

(That’s a reference to the original May 1 email containing this nugget Notably, none of his current statements acknowledge that the videos *do not* show anyone banging on his car before he hit them…)

“Their response to this was, "No, we are not going to stop." They continued to follow me to my car and then surrounded the car, banging on the windows, blocking the car, and shouting. I waited until I saw space behind the car and then, using my car's rear pedestrian alert and automatic braking system, was able to slowly maneuver my car from the parking space and exit the parking lot.”

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 15

The President has made another statement. He claims not to have known he hit a student until he saw the footage after releasing his May 1 email. Maybe he should get his “rear pedestrian alert and automatic braking system” checked?

Cornell University
Dear Cornell Community,
When I stepped into the office of president, after many years as part of this community, I made it a priority to remain an active member of our academic community - to attend events, be available for meetings, interact with students, and respond to questions and concerns openly and honestly.
It is in that spirit that | write today about the events of April 30. Now that the ad hoc special committee has released its findings, I would like to share some thoughts and observations about that evening and what followed.
The first observation is one that, disappointingly, has hardly been mentioned in all the coverage and discussion over the past two weeks: the steadfast dedication to respectful exercise of free expression displayed at Cornell throughout the Israel-Palestine Debate Series. I was glad to be able to introduce one of the events, proud of our students for their willingness to engage, and grateful to the organizations involved for their readiness to platform both sides of a controversial and emotional argument. The series provided our students with valuable opportunities to engage

respectfully in civil discourse - which they did, taking advantage of a critical and key part of a Cornell education.
The second observation regards the questions and narratives that have emerged over the past two weeks. When I shared my experience with the community on May 1st, I did not believe, based on the information I had at the time, that my car had made any contact with anyone. Only when I saw the videos circulating later did I realize that a student had placed himself directly behind the car without my being aware of it as I backed up. Only the following afternoon did I understand that my experience would look very different in the selected video clips posted on social media and be framed in ways that I found genuinely shocking. In the moment, my goal was extricating myself from the situation safely without escalating it. In retrospect, I certainly should have remained in my car, locked it, and called the police.
There is one more decision that I feel I must explain, both to our community and those beyond it, and that is my decision, after much consideration and discussion, not to pursue a campus code complaint against the enrolled Cornell students involved in this incident. This decision is not a reflection of the seriousness of their behavior, but a consideration of the realities of our code processes: the public hearings required by the code would grant these students even more of the attention they have been seeking. It would, in effect, reward the behavior

and further divide our campus community, and this I will not do.
And finally: My commitment to free expression, and to the university Expressive Activity Policy that was created in partnership with our community, is unwavering. Freedom of expression is inherently a concept centered not in the individual, but in the relationships between them; speech only carries meaning when one can speak and another can listen. In a community and in a democracy, any exercise of that freedom carries the responsibility to respect the same rights for others. That is why we have policies and guidelines around free expression at Cornell: to ensure that everyone's rights are protected and that no one can shout-down or silence other views. I will continue to defend those policies with every means at my disposal.
Sincerely,
Michael I. Kotlikoff
President

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 15

Nixon quote: “when the president does it that means it’s not illegal.”

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 15

Cornell just released this statement from its committee of Trustees investigating the incident where the President ran over a student's foot with his car. The statement extols the President and blames the students.

"The Ad Hoc Special Committee of the Board of Trustees, composed of the Chair and Vice Chairs of the Board of Trustees, has completed its review of the events of April 30, 2026, involving Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff and a group of individuals.

In concluding its review, the Committee considered evidence gathered by the Cornell University Police Department (CUPD), which included information gathered at the scene of the incident, verified video footage, and a sworn statement provided by President Kotlikoff to CUPD. The individuals at the scene who reported that the vehicle made contact refused medical treatment from the EMS team and refused to provide sworn statements as to their account of the incident. None of the individuals at the scene have provided sworn statements to CUPD, despite CUPD’s repeated attempts to collect sworn statements in the days following the incident. Consistent with its commitment to ensuring a fair and thorough process, the Committee also engaged independent legal counsel to evaluate the independence and integrity of CUPD’s investigation into these events.

The Committee has determined that the investigation conducted by CUPD was done pursuant to existing policies without any bias or undue influence. The Committee thanks CUPD for its professionalism and diligence in its independent investigation."

"The Committee has found that the actions taken by these individuals on April 30th, which included following President Kotlikoff from an evening event into a parking lot and impeding his ability to leave, are inconsistent with university policies governing expressive activity and our standards for respectful conduct, safety, and the prohibition of intimidation.

CUPD presented the evidence collected to the Tompkins County District Attorney’s office, which determined that no criminal charges were warranted against any individuals involved in this matter. President Kotlikoff has declined to pursue a complaint against the students involved, which would have been required to initiate action under the university’s code of conduct. Appropriate action is being taken against the non-students involved.

Robust debate and peaceful protest are essential to academic life. Expressive activity must occur within the bounds of the law and with respect for the rights and safety of all members of our community. Over the course of his decades-long tenure at Cornell, President Kotlikoff has conveyed his strong belief that with freedom, particularly freedom of speech, comes responsibility. We urge our community to foster and uphold an environment where we allow for debate and dissent practiced with civility, respect, and accountability.

President Kotlikoff has shown a steadfast commitment to Cornell’s values and principles, and we are confident he will continue to lead with integrity as we work together to carry out our shared mission to discover, preserve, and disseminate knowledge, to educate the next generation of global citizens, and to promote a culture of broad inquiry throughout and beyond the Cornell community."

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 15

I know this is a serious academic book but all I can see is an alt cover to @maxgladstone.bsky.social and @amalelmohtar.com’s This is How You Lose the Time War

Cover of “Progessive Industrial Policy in Europe” showing a hand made of green leaves extending a finger to meet a hand made of metal doing the same.

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· May 8

Guessing this has been done before but still felt fitting this morning. Solidarity from across the pond.

Arrested Development meme re centrist parties moving to the right to beat far right parties and people deluding themselves into thinking it’ll work.

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Apr 25

Text from the memo.

“3. Two Human Sexes Requirement and Biological Science
State and federal law and TTU System guidance dictate that only two human sexes, male and female, are recognized.
• Prohibition on Endorsement of a Gender Spectrum: Instructors may not teach that gender identity is a fluid spectrum, endorse the existence of more than two genders, or decouple gender from biological sex as a factual or scientific baseline.
• The Intersex/Biological Reality Clarification: The legal recognition of two human sexes does not prohibit the objective scientific instruction of anatomy, genetics, or endocrinology. Instruction on chromosomal variations, Differences of Sex Development (DSDs), and intersex biological conditions is expressly permitted. However, faculty may not use these biological conditions to advocate for or validate sociological frameworks of fluid gender identities.”

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Apr 20

In particular, I think the AAA's explicit discussion of how their resolution was implemented in ways that targeted Israeli institutions without preventing the participation of individual Israeli scholars is very useful given how similar S4P's proposals are to what AAA enacted:

Text describing the implementation. Key part with what the boycott does *not* prevent:

"The AAA academic institutional boycott does not prevent:

individuals affiliated with Israeli academic institutions from registering for and attending AAA conferences, even if their institutions have paid for their expenses
articles published in AAA journals from being reprinted or republished in journals not owned by Israeli institutions that are edited by individuals affiliated with Israeli academic institutions
individuals affiliated with Israeli academic institutions from serving as journal editors or Section / AAA elected officials, even if their institutions have paid for related expenses (their institution would be identified as being subject to an institutional boycott)
individuals affiliated with Israeli academic institutions from publishing in AAA journals, even if their institutions have paid for their expenses, and
Israeli university libraries from subscribing to AAA journals, including AnthroSource."

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Apr 14

www.asanet.org/wp-content/u...

Text from ASA's official history laying out its actions on human rights including divesting from South African companies.

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Apr 13

I feel like we all have Vir Cotto energy right now and I’m here for it. Orban today, Trump as soon as possible!

A photo of Vir Cotto from Babylon 5 waving to his defeated enemy.

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Apr 9

100%. Reminds me of an early xkcd... xkcd.com/154/

Dan Hirschman@asociologist· Apr 9

Do you use your AI for good, or for awesome?